In this lesson, we will explore three of the major themes of 'Night' and the imagery that the author, Elie Wiesel, uses to create them. The themes we will discuss are identity, silence, and night.

About the Book

If you were an observant Jew who believed in a loving God, then you and your family were captured by a group of ill-intentioned people, causing the death of your family, what would you think about whether God and humans are good or not? That is the main concern of Eliezer, the main character in Night.Night is the first in a trilogy about the Holocaust written by Romanian Jew, Elie Wiesel, and is a semi-autobiographical work, meaning the author intertwines his/her life and experiences with a fictional story. Night tells the story about a Jewish boy, Eliezer, and his father's experience in the Birkenau/Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps during World War II. Wiesel experienced the same things as Eliezer, but includes additional fictional stories and details about the characters to create more of a novel than a memoir. The main focus of the book is to reflect on Eliezer's questioning of God's nature, and even his existence, as well as the nature of humanity during his experience in the Holocaust. Wiesel uses the following themes to create this engaging story:

identity

silence

night

Loss of Identity

At the beginning of the book, we meet Eliezer who is an observant Jewish boy. This involves not only having faith in God (whom Eliezer believes is loving, but also a just punisher), but also keeping Jewish laws, like the dietary law (kashrut), observing holidays by fasting, and studying the Torah. His identity, or how he relates to and sees himself as part of the world, is formed around this Jewish upbringing and his relationship with his family. He and his father are separated from the female members of their family when entering the concentration camp, beginning the stripping away of Eliezer's identity. The men are then shaved and tattooed--both actions that are against Jewish law. Eliezer is also advised to tell the Nazis that he is eighteen, rather than fifteen so he might survive. This lie he tells becomes his identity during his time at the camps. During Eliezer's time at the concentration camps, he questions God's nature and seems to stop having faith in God, but he also struggles to balance his lack of faith with keeping Jewish traditions. The traditions are all that are left for Eliezer to cling to in order to maintain some sense of his real identity.

Elie Wiesel (farthest right in the center section) in Buchenwald Concentration Camp, 1945

Silence of God and Humanity

Another major theme of Night is created by imagery of silence. Throughout the book, silence is tied directly to inaction. As we talked about, Eliezer struggles with having faith in God because he thought God would not let terrible things happen to the righteous--but the horrible actions of the Nazis in the Holocaust cause him to think that either God is not benevolent (good intentioned) or just does not exist. When Eliezer is supposed to be saying the prayer for the dead and thanking God, he asks himself, 'The Almighty, the eternal and terrible Master of the Universe, chose to be silent. What was there to thank Him for?' He realizes his anger here, particularly, because God let the horrendous things happen to him and his family--God stayed silent instead of taking action. Wiesel also uses the theme of silence when describing Eliezer's father dying. When his father called to him as he was dying, Eliezer says, 'His last word had been my name. A summons. And I had not responded.' Additionally, Eliezer notes throughout the book that the rest of the world stayed silent when the Jews were being tortured and murdered. Silence, throughout the book, is always equated with inaction and allowance of suffering.

Night and Suffering

The last major theme that we will discuss here is Wiesel's use of the image of the night being associated with moments of suffering. When Eliezer first learns about the deportation of the Jews, it is nighttime. He specifically notes, 'Night fell.' Eliezer's arrival at Auschwitz also occurs at night--and there is immense suffering that he endures here. Another example of the use of night imagery is when the Jews are marched from Buna to the train to be taken to Buchenwald. This event occurs in the darkness of night and not only do the prisoners suffer, many are killed for not keeping up. Many also die from exhaustion and starvation. Wiesel appropriately titles his book Night because of how he uses night imagery to mean suffering--and most of his book is about the suffering of Eliezer.

Lesson Summary

Night is a semi-autobiographical book that tells the story of Eliezer's experience at the concentration camps during the Holocaust. The author, Elie Wiesel, uses the themes and imagery of identity, silence, and night to show the appalling experience Eliezer suffers. Wiesel shows Eliezer losing and struggling to maintain his identity. He also uses silence imagery to show how both God and humans are not trying to prevent or cure the suffering of the imprisoned Jews. Wiesel also equates night with suffering throughout the book to show the bleakness of the situation.

Summary:

Earning College Credit

Did you know… We have over 160 college
courses that prepare you to earn
credit by exam that is accepted by over 1,500 colleges and universities. You can test out of the
first two years of college and save thousands off your degree. Anyone can earn
credit-by-exam regardless of age or education level.